This invention is directed to a display rack having adjustable brackets capable of being freely positionable in a plurality of positions, and shaped so as a first and second bracket can slidingly receive a container between first and second flanges on each of the first and second brackets to temporarily retain the container on the bracket.
With the advent of inexpensive video recorders, the renting of copies of movies for leisurely viewing the same in one's home has become a very popular activity. The copies of the video tapes of movies, or other media, must be protected in a protective case in order to maintain their quality. The protective case is then usually inserted within a container bearing indicia thereon indicative of the contents of the video tapes or the like. Since video tapes are easily susceptible to abuse, they must be stored in a manner which protects them yet allows for easy access and browsing by the consumer.
The indicia on the containers for video tapes is positioned much like the indicia for books and the like. The side edges, because of the limited surface area thereon, can usually contain nothing more than a printed title. The front and back surfaces, because of the larger surface area, can include more elaborate displays including pictorial material as well as printed material. It is these front and back surfaces, especially the front surface, which bear the indicia which is recognizable by the consumer so as to identify the contents, a movie or the like, which is recorded on the video tape within.
Initially, the vendors of these video tapes could only display the video tapes in one of two ways. The first of these is much like a book shelf wherein only the side edge of the container is displayed, and, thus, little more than the title is available for viewing by the consumer. While this allows for storage of a large amount of video tapes per square foot of storage area, it does not lend to adequate display of the tapes allowing for easy recognition of the contents by the consumer, nor is it conducive to browsing by the consumer. A second way of displaying these is much like that utilized for paper back books and the like, wherein tilted display racks, having a bottom lip, are utilized with the video tape container placed such that it is, essentially, in the same plane as the wall on which the rack is mounted. While this leads to full display of the indicia of the front surfaces of the container, it also severely reduces the number of individual video tapes which can be displayed because of the large surface area each individual tape container occupies.
Additionally, because different formats are utilized by the manufacturer of video tape machines, there are different size video tapes and, consequently, different size containers for the same. Because of this, display racks which were designed to accommodate all size video tapes are very wasteful with regard to space utilization when displaying video tape containers which are of a size less than the maximum size. This leads to further waste in the utilization of display surface for video tapes and other similar articles.
In view of the above, it is a broad object of this invention to provide a display rack which is capable of efficient space utilization, but is also capable of displaying the front surfaces of containers, books, or the like, which bear indicia thereon. It is a further object of this invention to provide a display rack which has the capabilities of adjustments of the individual elements which are utilized to support the contents of the rack such that a mixture of elements of different sizes can be displayed on the same rack, yet optimum space utilization is still achieved. It is a further object of this invention to provide a display rack which, because of its manufacturing and engineering principles embodied therein, is capable of a long and useful lifetime, and capable also of economical manufacturing.
These and other objects, as will be evident from the remainder of this specification, are achieved in a display rack that comprises: a support member; at least two bracket members; said support member comprising an integrally formed elongated element having a front surface, a back surface, left and right side edges, and top and bottom edges; said back surface of said support member including at least a portion thereof which lies in the plane so as to be positionable against a flat support surface; said bracket members each including a back plate and a holding element formed as an integral unit, said holding element extending from said back plate at an acute angle; said holding element including first and second flanges located in a parallel-planar configuration with respect to each other and further including a web orthogonally located with respect to each of said first and said second flanges and extending between said first and said second flanges; one of said support member and said bracket member including first and second channel integrally formed on said one of said support member and said bracket, said first and second channels spaced apart from one another and oriented with respect to one another so as to open toward one another; the other of said support member and said bracket member including first and second elongated projection means, said first and said second elongated projection means sized and shaped and located in a spaced relationship on said other of said support member and said bracket member such that said first of said projection means fits into first said channel and said second of said projection means fits into said second channel; said one of said channels or said projection means which is located on said support member being positioned on said support member so as to be parallel with the left and right side edges of said support member and said one of said channel means and said projection means which is located on said bracket member being positioned on said bracket member so as to be parallel with the plane of said flanges of said bracket member and perpendicular to said web of said bracket member; said bracket members attaching to said support member by inserting said first and said second projection means into said first and said second channels at one of said top or said bottom edges of said support member to position said back plate of said support brackets against said face surface of said support member and further said bracket means positionable along the elongated dimension of said support member by sliding said bracket members along the elongated dimension of said support member whereby said first and said second projection means slide within said first and said second channels; means for temporarily retaining each of said bracket means at a position along the elongated length of said support member.
These objects are further achieved in the illustrative embodiment by including a channel on the support member whereby the support member can be attached to a supporting surface utilizing common screws, nails, and the like, with the heads of the screws, nails, or the like recessed behind the locus of travel behind the back plate of the bracket member whereby the bracket member can be easily slid along the length of the support member without interference of the connecting screws, nails, or the like.
Additionally, in the illustrative embodiment, the objects are met by locating the first and second channels along the left and right side edges, respectively, of the support member and forming the projecting means as extensions, projecting from the back plate of the bracket member.
Further, in the illustrative embodiment, the means for temporarily retaining the bracket member on the support member is achieved by providing a first frictional engagement means on a support member and a second frictional engagement means on a bracket member whereby these two frictional engagement means engage with one another so as to temporarily retain the bracket member in any particular position which it is positioned in along the elongated length of the support member.